VIOLINIST Vincent Owen Romanban will be the featured soloist of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra's second series concert on 7 October, 8 p.m., at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (Main Theater).

For this concert, the 20-year-old violinist will perform Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, Op. 64, E minor. Other works to be performed in the concert are Lucio San Pedro's Lahing Kayumanggi, Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture and Igor Stravinsky's Firebird Suite (1919).

Romanban is an active member of the UST Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Herminigildo Ranera. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance under Noel Martin at the UST.

At the age of 7, Romanban began learning the violin in 2008 at CASA San Miguel Center for the Arts, a music school for gifted artists, in Zambales. His first teachers were Kianne Esteban, Isaiah Lipana, and Coke Bolipata.

At age 12, he began playing with the Pundaquit Virtuosi under Coke Bolipata.

He performed with the group in tours abroad — in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Pune in India in 2017 and in Europe in 2019 to celebrate Philippine Independence Day.

The concert is the second offering in the PPO's 38th concert season entitled Metamorphosis and continues the PPO search for its new Music Director and Principal Conductor. Metamorphosis features 8 outstanding conductors, five of whom are shortlisted for the Music Director position.

Guest conductor Maestro Grzegorz Nowak, who is in the shortlist, conducts the PPO this October 7th. He is the permanent associate conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London, UK. He was music director of the Polish National Opera, Warsaw, Poland from 2017-2020 and other orchestras in Poland, Germany, Switzerland, and the USA. He has conducted orchestral music recorded in over 80 CDs that have received awards and 5-star ratings.

For more information, visit the CCP(www.culturalcenter.gov.ph) and follow the official CCP social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest updates.